


Doing the Math

by DawnOfTomorrow



Series: Money can't buy Happiness [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: AU, Frustration, Lack of Communication, M/M, Mistaken identities, Misunderstandings, Phichit is NOT helping, Pining, Self-Esteem Issues, Unreliable Narrator, Victor is a CIO, Victor is rich, Yuuri Katsuki is shy, Yuuri is an accountant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:54:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28182744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnOfTomorrow/pseuds/DawnOfTomorrow
Summary: When Yuuri ordered himself an escort, he wasn’t sure it was a good idea – not until he saw the breath-taking beauty he was supposed to meet, anyway.Victor is more and better than he could have ever imagined – and Yuuri makes more than one dumb decision because of him. At least, he reasons, nobody is getting hurt just because he throws insane amounts of money at Victor.At least, until someone DOES get hurt – more specifically, Yuuri’s heart. Why had he ever thought things could be easy?Part 2 of the series - Yuuri's POV.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri & Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: Money can't buy Happiness [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064534
Comments: 20
Kudos: 108





	1. Chapter 1

Yuuri had been debating the wisdom of his... plan for the better part of 2 days. Almost a whole day before making that call, and another half day since... And he still had a bit of time to go before he was set to meet his date.

Well, not date. Escort.

The escort he’d hired to have dinner with him and maybe go to his hotel room.

Was he really that desperate and that lonely? Well, he had a phone call in his embarrassingly short call history that said yes... And he was briskly walking towards the bar where he’d arranged to meet the escort.

He was running late – he’d debated whether or not to go for so damn long he’d ended up being a good 15 minutes late.

Still, he figured it shouldn’t be too hard to find the man. The phone service had asked him for a description of what he wanted – he’d stuttered a bit and said a tall, blonde guy about his age.

He didn’t really have a ‘type’ but to his Japanese upbringing, the typical blonde American still held some form of exotic appeal, and that had been that.

He was panting a little when he got there – and his eyes immediately zeroed in on him.

Even just from the side, he was unbelievably stunning. Platinum blonde hair hung casually into his face, which, from what Yuuri could tell, was breath-taking.

And he looked annoyed.

Oops.

Yuuri hurried up his step to not keep the man waiting any longer.

* * *

Sitting at dinner, Yuuri was fighting his nerves non-stop. The man – Victor – was without a doubt the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. He was absolutely sure that it would have taken him MUCH less time to figure out he was gay if only he’d seen a picture of Victor somewhere... And he had casually laughed off Yuuri’s oafish behaviour, and was acting like the evening was the best date he’d ever had.

Yuuri had a hard time even remembering that it was... a business arrangement, rather than a real date.

Of course, as he felt the gazes of the people around them on him, it was probably pretty obvious that a looker like Victor wasn’t there out of interest in him of all people.

Still, he put all of that out of his mind and focused on his dinner companion. Fake or not, Victor was intelligent, witty, funny, and seemed more than pleased with Yuuri’s contributions to the conversation – even if they weren’t that interesting.

He’d been on the fence about going further than dinner even after meeting Victor – he’d worried that things would be unnatural, or seem forced.

He was relieved to find it was neither. Victor did seem a bit surprised that he asked him – there was probably some kind of protocol Yuuri didn’t know about.

However, since he agreed to go, he figured it couldn’t be such a bad faux-pas. At least he hoped so.

“You’ve never had vegetarian food?” he asked, curious after they’d ordered.

Victor shrugged. “Not really on purpose. I mean, I’ve never gone out to order it. Just, sometimes I’ve picked those if they seem good, you know?”

“Fair enough. My sister is a vegetarian so my mother cooks it a lot.” He replied automatically, before wondering if that was oversharing – but Victor didn’t seem bothered.

“Well, I’ve actually cooked quite a lot of vegan stuff, not just vegetarian… but I’ve not eaten any of it!”

He stared in surprise. “Uh… why?”

Victor grinned brightly. “For my dog! When I have the time, I sometimes bake her her own dog treats! She’s the most _spoiled_ girl, she won’t eat them if I don’t get the shape and size just right!” He said, sounding not at all bothered by that fact.

He’d been awed to find out Victor had a dog, and over the moon when he learned it was a poodle – they were his favourite. Victor’s too, apparently.

“Can I see some pictures of your Makka?”

* * *

Having somewhat relaxed during the dinner, he was in flat-out panic mode when they reached the room – how was he supposed to start the encounter? He barely knew how to do that with someone he was dating.

Then he looked up at Victor, and something in his mind just clicked – Victor was an escort. It was supposed to be a fantasy – his fantasy. So, there was no reason he couldn’t act like he _wanted_ to. Even if he couldn’t do that in a real relationship, Victor was just one night… and Yuuri _wanted_ him, and badly so.

Slamming him into a wall with a searing kiss was the first thing that came to mind, and he eagerly went with it. Victor didn’t seem bothered at all – in fact, he kissed Yuuri back as if there was no tomorrow.

All thoughts of escorts, dates and shyness faded from his mind as soon as Victor moaned for the first time – he simply manhandled Victor to the bed and pushed him down. He only stopped long enough to take his clothes off, before getting back to kissing the other man – and his confidence only soared when he realised that Victor was already hard.

When Victor suggested Yuuri take him, he was pretty sure that he’d died and gone to heaven – when Victor howled as he ate him out, he was sure of it.

* * *

Waking up the next morning felt like waking up from a dream – though the dream in this case was the incredible evening he’d had with Victor. The other man was dead asleep next to him, so Yuuri stole out of bed, had a shower, got dressed, and set about penning a little note.

He wasn’t so confident about what to put, or how to pay Victor – he regretted not asking the escort service on the phone about details like that. He settled on a pretty plain thank you, slid it into the envelope with five of the ten thousand cash he’d brought, and gently set it on the bedside table for Victor to find.

He wanted to do more though – which was how he found himself at a Starbucks just a few minutes from the hotel in no time flat, ordering himself a green tea and Victor some overly sweet and flavoured latte. He wasn’t sure, but that seemed like the sort of thing Victor would like.

Stealing back into the hotel room was easy – almost too easy. Victor hadn’t stirred once since he’d gotten up, so he set his coffee down and decided it was time to face the music – he needed to leave.

He didn’t want to.

The compromise came easy – he pressed himself to Victor’s back, pressing open-mouthed kisses to his skin until the beautiful man woke with a groan.

He wasn’t prepared for the way Victor kissed him, nor for the way his own body responded to it – it was hard, tearing himself away. He was all prepared to say goodbye and let that be it, but… but part of him wanted to see Victor again.

He stuttered the request out, only to be offered Victor’s phone number. In a stupor – because that was DEFINITELY not according to the rules, he let the man save his number in his phone, and then made his way out – it wasn’t until he was leaning against the hallway wall, practically hyperventilating that he realised what he had just _done_.

He’d been frugal his entire life, had saved up money, spared expenses… and just now he’d dropped the price of a decent used car on dinner and one night with an escort.

Forcing himself to walk towards the elevator, he shook his head.

What was worse was that Victor had been worth _every penny_.


	2. Chapter 2

“Wow, you really went through with it?” Phichit asked, whistling quietly.

Yuuri blushed and ducked behind his screen. He regretted telling his best friend as soon as he had done so – Phichit had looked far too… pleased.

“W-Well…”

“Hey, don’t worry. It’s all good. That service is pretty great. No judgement here – it’s the best in Detroit – or so my guy in HR said.”

“HR?”

“Mhm! He uses it all the time when he’s lonely. Figured I’d pass that along.”

“A-And the restaurant?” Yuuri asked, blushing.

Phichit grinned. “That one was my recommendation, don’t worry. Wasn’t it good?”

He gave a small nod.

“So the big question… are you going to be… using the service again?”

He sank even lower behind his screen. “I… I don’t know.” Technically a lie – he damn well knew he wanted to see Victor again, he just didn’t know if it was a good idea.

“Well, if he was that good, it’d be worth it, right? I’ll even spring for the next night if you want!” Phichit chirped.

“Phichit!” He hissed, relieved that they were the only ones in the office at the moment. His face was burning – why was he even friends with Phichit?

“Relax. I just want you to be happy for a bit! You’ve been alone way too long.”

Yuuri sighed softly – after his last experience… no, he decided not to let his mind go there.

“I don’t… know how long I should wait. To call again.”

“Well… for a date, it’s like two days, right?” Phichit asked.

Yuuri shrugged. “I don’t think it’s the same.”

“Probably not. Why not just wait a week? See him again same time next week.”

That… that sounded reasonable.

Doable.

Provided he could last that long before breaking down from sheer thirst.

“Katsuki! HR wants to see you!” his supervisor called across the room.

Flustered, Yuuri scrambled off his desk, all thoughts of Victor forgotten in favour of worrying what he’d done.

His supervisor ordered him into the lone meeting room on their floor – there, he found a semi-familiar face. He’d seen the man only once – it was the head of HR.

“Ah, Yuuri, hello! Don’t know if you remember me, I’m Chris.”

“Yes, hello. Is... Did I do something wrong?”

Chris chuckled and motioned for him to sit down. “No no, not at all. I’ve been reviewing some employee files and noticed yours had some info missing. Would you mind filling it in for me?”

He relaxed with a sigh and took his seat, accepting the stack of forms from Chris.

“Just fill all of those out.” Chris ordered and he set about doing just that. “So, you’ve been with the company a while. How are you liking it?” the other man asked after a page or so.

He smiled up at him. “It’s pretty great. I like the work, the co-workers are great, and I’ve even got a pretty nice desk.”

Chris grinned. “Yeah? Got any designs on promotions?”

Yuuri shrugged, handing Chris a few pages. “Maybe. I mean, eventually I’d like to move up towards C-level, but I don’t think I’m ready yet.”

Chris nodded. “I see... So a future CFO?”

He hummed quietly. “Maybe. If I can manage that. It’d certainly be a goal of mine.”

“Very ambitious. Thanks for filling these in and sorry to take you away from your work.”

He shook Chris’ hand. “Not at all. I’m just glad I didn’t do anything wrong!”

The other man chuckled. “Not at all, not at all. Well, enjoy the rest of your day!”

* * *

Yuuri was sweating bullets as he stood in front of the corner of 17th and Drive. He’d waited pretty late to call Victor – he’d been too nervous to do it before lunch, and by then, he’d not had enough time to plan match.

An Instagram post had saved him – Phichit had shown him one of his friend back in Thailand in a ballet studio… and just like that, he’d frantically called the owner of a ballet studio he knew – he’d practiced in her studio for the entire time he’d been in university, sometimes even daily.

She owed him a few favours from when he’d closed up and cleaned up for her, so he wasn’t all that surprised when she agreed to cancel one class and give him the studio for a few hours.

He’d never been faster, racing home, changing clothes and then racing back towards the studio. He got there fifteen minutes early, and it felt like time was just crawling by – he wasn’t even sure Victor would show up until he spotted that flash of platinum hair across the road.

Radiant as last time, Victor came straight over, smiling brightly. He was taken aback once again by the man’s enthusiasm and the… happy aura that seemed to surround him.

He really _was_ beautiful. Yuuri was struggling not to stare when he led the other man into the studio, savouring his surprise, followed by a delighted expression that Yuuri would have _loved_ to have a picture of.

His nerves faded to nothing as he went to turn the music on. In the studio, with a soft waltz playing, Yuuri was in his element. He felt a strange sort of confidence inside of him, and when Victor took his hand, he could almost believe that his spell-bound expression was real.

He confidently led the other man, pleasantly surprised by his skills. He’d have been able to deal with any sort of skill level, really, but Victor could hold his own in classical ballroom dances.

“You’re very good.” He praised the other man – Victor smiled.

“I haven’t done this in years. I’m glad I’m not too rusty.”

Yuuri adjusted his hold a little, his hand sliding lower on Victor’s back. “No, clearly you’re not.” He agreed, before hesitantly continuing. “You look fantastic tonight, by the way. Absolutely beautiful.”

Victor flushed with a pleased smile and Yuuri spun them a little faster – Victor kept his pace.

“What got you into dancing?” Victor eventually asked.

Yuuri grinned. “Stress relief. My mother was friends with a ballet teacher when I was younger, so I trained under her... And when I came here to study, I just... continued.”

The other man nodded. “It shows! I don’t think I’ve ever danced with anyone who could lead so _well_.” Victor all but purred.

Yuuri tightened his grip, just in time for the music to change – finally to something Latin.

Victor gasped when he yanked him closer and adjusted his grip to something more intimate.

“I’m better at Latin.” He teased, before pulling Victor straight into a complicated step sequence. The other man’s movements were far less secure, but he was still able to follow.

In the middle of a tango, Yuuri found himself getting playful – without asking permission, he dipped Victor.

The man gasped in obvious shock, but allowed it – and when Yuuri pulled him back up with sheer strength, he had the most brilliantly bright smile on his face.

He suddenly remembered why he loved dancing so much in the first place – the movements, the easy intimacy, the exertion of it all... Exactly the same reasons he liked being close to Victor.

It was the sex they’d had the last time that was on his mind as he led Victor through the next few dances – he was finding it harder and harder to keep his focus, his motions directed only by habit and muscle memory while his mind... strayed.

He only stopped when he noticed that Victor was panting a little – the other man didn’t seem to have the same amount of... stamina as him.

Fighting a grin, he released him and went to turn the music off.

Practically as soon as silence fell over the empty studio, his nerves acted up again – he didn’t know how to proceed. Was he supposed to invite Victor to his hotel again? Would the other man be too tired?

He was still fidgeting about it when Victor matter-of-factly asked where his hotel was. Decision made, Yuuri led the way.

* * *

He was able to hold back until the door shut behind them – then his hands were on Victor, under Victor – when the older man didn’t move fast enough for his liking, he simply lifted him up and all but threw him onto the bed.

They were naked in minutes – he’d asked Victor to suggest what to do, hoping to make it enjoyable for him as much as if was for Yuuri.

The fact that he chose something Yuuri would have been up for either way was just icing on the cake.

In no time flat, Victor was laying on the bed, his hands wrapped around – and quivering on – Yuuri’s thighs.

The other man had started out by licking and sucking him while he hovered over Victor’s face, until his partner had asked him to turn around, the sound of the lube packet tearing alerting him to Victor’s next move.

He was a bit surprised when the lube that Victor gently massaged against his ass was warm – he’d expected it cold, straight from the pack.

Where Victor had kicked him like his life depended on it minutes ago, he took his time with Yuuri’s ass, first plying him with his fingers, then, just when Yuuri was about to complain, with his tongue.

Victor pulled him down pretty ruthlessly, making him actually put weight on him – Yuuri would have been worried had it not been for the unbelievable eagerness with which Victor moved.

He was moaning as well – not that Yuuri wasn’t – and eating him out so well that Yuuri actually wasn’t sure how the other man was breathing.

Not that he spent much time thinking about it – he was too busy admiring the gorgeous cock before him, leaking precome as it was.

Victor’s cock was an almost angry red, and at the first touch of even just his hand to it, Victor gave a full-body shudder and moaned, his motions stilling for a second.

Yuuri pushed his hips down a little, to encourage him to continue – and when he did, Yuuri bent down in order to be able to press a kiss to Victor’s dick.

The other man stopped again – Yuuri pulled back and shifted his hips, eager for him to keep going.

When he did, Yuuri resumed his motions too. It was an awkward angle for them both, but he couldn’t help loving every second, every slurp either of them made. The way Victor’s fingers trembled on his skin alone was a thing of beauty – he swallowed Victor down as far as their difference in height and position allowed and hummed around it.

To his surprise, Victor came – hard – straight into his mouth. He swallowed, sucking him through it until the other man started to soften. He pulled away – completely – to look at the other man.

Victor looked wrecked, a hand thrown over his face. Before Yuuri could say anything, the other man had hopped off the bed and dashed to the bathroom.

Yuuri was a little disappointed – until he heard the distinct sound of Victor brushing his teeth. Grinning, he sat back on the bed, playing with himself just enough to keep things interesting.

When Victor came back, hastily wiping his mouth on a towel before throwing it into a corner and all but throwing himself on Yuuri’s lap.

To his surprise, the other man kissed him, deeply, before pulling back.

“Sorry about that. It was... a lot.” He said, a faint pink blush on his perfect cheekbones.

Yuuri smiled. “It’s fine. You liked it?”

Victor made a slight whining sound before his eyes wandered down – to Yuuri’s still hard cock.

“You could fuck me.” He offered. Yuuri was tempted, but with Victor having just finished... He reached out and gently placed his thumb on Victor’s lower lip, pressing just enough to get him to open.

He sucked Yuuri’s thumb into his mouth with a quiet moan, his tongue rubbing around the pad of the finger.

Yuuri smiled as he pulled back, as did Victor.

“That... That is a _fantastic_ idea!” the older man proclaimed before shimmying lower on the bed and wrapping his fingers around Yuuri’s cock.

He wasted no time at all, simply swallowed him down in one go, a bit of spit running from the side of his mouth and over his hand. Bizarrely, it was one of the sexiest things Yuuri had ever seen.

“Gorgeous...” he breathed, and Victor moaned, increasing his efforts a little.

After a few more moments, Victor’s free hand blindly reached out for Yuuri’s, pulling it to the back of his head. Victor’s own hand was shaking, but he firmly pressed it there anyway – blissed out as he was, it took Yuuri a second to figure out what he meant.

He experimentally curled his hand into a fist, grabbing some of Victor’s hair as he did.

The moan the man gave sent jolts of pleasure through Yuuri’s entire body – just to see what would happen, he held Victor down for a few moments on his next suck.

Blue eyes fluttered open and Victor looked at him with what Yuuri could only think to call hazy eyes – unfocused, and looking through him.

He would have been worried, had he not immediately after noticed that Victor’s other hand was jumping straight to his own cock, which was mostly hard again already.

Yuuri grinned to himself – it was getting better by the second. After that, he directed Victor’s motions, occasionally even thrusting his hips a little. Not enough to risk seriously stopping Victor from breathing, but enough to draw frantic sound after frantic sound out of him.

Victor’s hand was moving in the same rhythm his mouth was, speeding up when Yuuri nudged him to go faster, and stopping when Yuuri prevented him from moving.

It was utterly hypnotic, and when Yuuri felt himself drawing closer to orgasm, he was almost apprehensive – he didn’t want to finish, wanted to prolong that moment forever.

It was impossible though – there was no way he could last with Victor like that.

“’m gonna come!” he moaned, hoping Victor understood him – he seemed to, as his motions became more and more frantic.

What pushed Yuuri over the edge though, was the expression on Victor’s face. He looked up again, his eyes completely glazed over, lips swollen and drool on his cheeks.

He looked like an absolute mess, and Yuuri had been the one to do that to him.

Yuuri came with a shout on Victor’s next suck, his hand clenching harder on Victor’s hair as he did.

To his surprise, Victor was right there with him – his hand jerked a few more times before falling away.

He spent much more time on Yuuri’s dick, sucking to keep him going until Yuuri thought he might pass out.

When Victor finally pulled away, he all but collapsed onto the bed, breath heaving and face flushed.

Yuuri stared for a few moments, pleasure still coursing through him, then he scrambled up to get them some tissues to clean up.

Victor was asleep when he got back, and he eagerly shifted him until they were both laying underneath the blanket, Yuuri’s arm slung over Victor’s sleeping form.

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered to the sleeping man. “I can’t believe you’re real.”

Naturally, Victor didn’t react – not even when Yuuri pressed a kiss to his cheek before cuddling down and falling asleep himself.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, it was just as good this time?” Phichit asked, sounding sceptical.

“Yeah. It was amazing.”

“And you paid...?”

“Four.”

Phichit whistled. “Who would have thought that you, the most frugal person I know, would spend more than a month’s wage on one night?”

He blushed and shrugged. “It... I mean I can’t do that too often, but... But you were right. I need to enjoy myself a bit.”

Phichit gave him a thumbs up. “I agree. Besides, if your mysterious escort is the reason you were in such a good mood today, that man is now my second favourite person.”

Yuuri grinned. “Well, I got a bonus I haven’t spent two months ago, so I was thinking, for next Friday...”

“Oh, planning ahead, I like it.” Phichit chirped.

“I was thinking about taking him to a jazz club. I’m sure he’s never been, and that seems like something he might enjoy.”

Phichit nodded eagerly. “Classy. And after that...?”

He blushed. “There’s a hotel across the street.” He admitted.

Phichit gave him a double thumbs-up.

“You know, you’re really getting quite romantic, aren’t you?” His friend asked.

Yuuri shook his head. “I don’t know about that. I mean, I just... I’m doing things I would enjoy on... on a real date. You know?”

“Mhm...” Phichit said, sounding unconvinced.

Yuuri shrugged helplessly. “It... The escort thing, it’s like a fantasy, right?”

“Sure.”

“So, I figured...”

“You’d commit and plan yourself great dates with good sex.” Phichit said bluntly.

He cleared his throat. “Not quite.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah... Great dates with _fantastic_ sex.”

* * *

The club – the oldest jazz club in Detroit – looked like it had stopped in time decades ago. Every inch of the place was decorated to utter perfection – right down to the jewellery the staff wore, Yuuri noticed when they walked in.

Victor seemed to be quite taken as well – he studied the many unique details on the way to their little table – he’d reserved one close to the stage, with a good view of the whole place.

He ordered them both a glass of whiskey before allowing himself to relax. Victor was still busy staring at the decor, giving him time to study the man.

He was dressed to the nines again, a fantastic brown suit, this time. Yuuri had told him what they were planning to give him a chance to dress accordingly. He’d had the feeling Victor would enjoy that.

Based on his reaction, he wasn’t wrong.

Not long after they sat, a lovely young jazz singer came on, also dressed in period clothes.

“Do you come here often?” Victor asked him, quietly so as to not interrupt the music.

He shook his head. “Not really. It’s more something to do with someone else, you know?”

Victor looked startled for a moment before beaming at Yuuri and nodding.

Yuuri glanced at the few couples on the dance floor, and found himself returning the grin.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked, his fingers ghosting over to Victor’s thigh as if of their own volition.

Victor laughed breathlessly before standing up and practically pulling Yuuri to the dance floor with him.

He made a show of taking Victor’s hand and pressing a kiss to his knuckles before drawing him into the first steps of the dance, both of them blushing just a little.

* * *

Yuuri was still giggling about something Victor had told him about Makka when, to his surprise, the older man settled a hand low on his back and leaned in.

“Do you have a room?” Victor purred – a Yuuri shuddered.

He hadn’t expected the other man to be the one to bring it up. He glanced at their drinks – they were still half-full.

They’d settled back down after maybe half an hour of dancing, and had simply chatted – until Victor’s question, anyway.

He threw his drink back with one gulp.

“Across the street.” He confirmed, and Victor’s easy smile turned downright _predatory._

Ignoring his own drink, Victor linked their fingers together and pulled Yuuri off his chair and out the door.

He wasn’t sure what was different, but Victor was the one to move first, the one to press him against the elevator wall when they got to the hotel and kiss him roughly.

And it _was_ rough – much more so than before. Victor nibbled, even bit at his lips – eventually Yuuri returned the favour, his teeth catching on Victor’s lower lip.

The older man practically sagged against him, his full weight dropping onto Yuuri, just as the elevator opened on their floor.

They dragged each other to the room, never fully letting go, hands and mouths on each other constantly.

To Yuuri’s surprise, Victor all but threw Yuuri onto the bed, tearing off his suit as he did. Yuuri scrambled to keep up, his own clothes gone almost as fast, and then they were pressed together, skin to skin.

Victor moaned as soon as their erections brushed together, and Yuuri wrapped his hand around them to stroke them both.

The older man whimpered into his shoulder and pressed a wet kiss there.

“D’you want to take me?” he groaned into Yuuri’s shoulder.

His breath hitched and he nodded eagerly. “If you want...”

“Yes...” Victor hissed, his fingers travelling along the length of Yuuri’s body, before pausing for a moment. “You can... be rough. If you want.” He offered.

Yuuri gulped and pulled back enough to be able to look at Victor’s face. The other man wasn’t meeting his eyes, a lovely red flush high on his cheeks.

It seemed... It seemed he wanted that.

_Fuck._

Yuuri wasted no time in flipping them so that Victor was underneath him. He roughly parted the other man’s legs, fishing for one of the lube packets he’d left in the room before meeting Victor.

He made a bit of a show drizzling it onto his fingers, and to his surprise, Victor eagerly spread his own legs further, holding them out of the way.

He thrust in two fingers at once after checking Victor wasn’t too tense, and immediately started stretching Victor out.

It wasn’t half as gentle as he normally was, but Victor was writhing on his fingers, brokenly begging for more.

He wasted no time at all, adding a third finger and ordering Victor to get on all fours when he was ready.

The other man had a slightly dazed air around him, and Yuuri shakingly pulled on a condom before rubbing himself against the cleft of Victor’s ass a few times, just to tease the other man.

Victor looked over his shoulder with an impatient expression – Yuuri decided he’d been mean enough and snapped his hips forward in one fast stroke. He buried himself in Victor as deeply as he could, holding his hips steady.

The other man cried out in apparent enjoyment, his head thrown back and panting as he adjusted to Yuuri’s dick.

He waited a few seconds to let him adjust properly, running a soothing hand down his side before he moved again.

Victor met his every thrust, but he could tell he wasn’t exactly affecting the other man as much as he wanted to – yet.

He reached over Victor, gently pressing his hand between Victor’s shoulders, to get him to bend lower, all the while keeping his hips up.

The man collapsed his front half onto the bed with a groan. The angle changed enough, apparently, that after the next thrust, Victor was sobbing into the bed with every motion, biting at the pillow to stay silent, it seemed.

Yuuri’s hand never moved from the back of Victor’s neck, but he found himself unable to _not_ speed up, to fuck into the other man harder, faster and rougher with every thrust.

Victor arched his back as he came, a bit unexpectedly for Yuuri – but the man’s shudders and clenched around his dick were enough to draw him into his own orgasm as well.

He pulled out and collapsed next to Victor, who flopped down as well with a grunt. As seemed to be common for him, he was asleep almost immediately.

Yuuri forced himself to get up and clean himself off – if nothing else, he didn’t want to be all gross and sticky the next morning.

Coming back from the bath, he found that Victor was sound asleep. He knew the other man was a deep sleeper, so he sat on the edge of the bed and gently ran a hand through Victor’s hair.

“You know, I’m glad I met you like this.” he whispered – and meant it. “I would have never approached you if it hadn’t been... for that. And I know you would never be with someone like me anyway, but I just feel so... glad that I got to meet you.” Yuuri sighed softly. Victor wasn’t just the best sex he’d ever had, he was also hands down the best date.

He no longer even really cared how they met – all that meant was that he’d had a chance with the most beautiful man he’d ever seen, when otherwise Victor would have never noticed him.

“I guess it’s a good thing. I’m... I’m not really the relationship type anyway. This sort of thing is better. It has rules, boundaries.” Yuuri whispered, cuddling closer.

He’d tried it, the whole relationship thing, but partner after partner had told him he was no good at it before dumping him – sometimes after cheating on him. With his current arrangement, that wasn’t a concern – even if the idea of Victor in the arms of someone else... stung a bit.

He pressed a kiss to Victor’s back.

“What a lucky man I am.” Yuuri whispered and pressed another kiss to Victor’s lips, before properly cuddling down against him.


	4. Chapter 4

Two days later, Yuuri once again found himself with the head of HR – this time in his office.

“I’m sorry, you want to pay me _what_ in order to do _WHAT_?” he asked, assuming he had to have misheard.

“I want to pay you 50 grand a month to audit my finances for me. My regular accountant just retired, without warning I might add, and now I’m in a bit of a pinch to find a new one.” Chris said calmly, sipping what seemed to be scotch. “You are without a doubt the best accountant we have – at least according to the accounting department.”

“But! Isn’t that against my contract?”

Chris shook his head. “Not at all, not at all. You’re free to freelance, so to speak.”

“I-It’s way too much money.” He argued – and it WAS. He’d earn in two months more than he made in a year, otherwise.

“It’s really not. You have no idea how messy my expenses are. There are quite a lot of individual posts as well as some, uh, recurring personal expenses.” Chris cleared his throat.

“What?” Yuuri asked, not understanding.

Chris grinned. “Porn. Among other things. Anyway, I really need the help, and I’m absolutely willing to pay you that much, if you are willing to help me.”

Yuuri gulped.

“If nothing else, maybe you can buy yourself something nice with the money? A car? Maybe go on a nice trip? You haven’t used any of your holiday allowance yet.” Chris said, glancing at what Yuuri assumed to be his file.

An idea struck him like lightning.

“I could... fly somewhere expensive. Maybe the Maldives...?”

Chris whistled. “Sounds perfect. I’m happy to advance you the first month of pay. Contract’s already in the printer, just needs your signature.”

Yuuri wobbled over to said printer and retrieved the four-page print-out.

To his embarrassment, he hardly even read it, just signed it and handed it to Chris, who signed a second copy of it and handed it to him.

“Perfect! I’ll send you over my files later today. Thanks, Yuuri!”

He mumbled a thank you as well before stumbling out the door and back to his office, banging into a desk or three as he did so.

He didn’t even tell Phichit about what had happened, just looked at flights and accommodation in the Maldives. It was somewhere he’d always sort of wanted to go... And when he caught sight of a hotel that offered little lodges on stilts _in_ the ocean, he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He emailed Chris for a day off, checked his bank account – where shockingly, the other man had ALREADY deposited half the money – and went about booking the flights and hotel.

It was the most outrageous, wasteful, expensive thing he’d ever done – and he realised only after he’d bought two tickets that he still had to ask Victor if he even wanted to go.

It was only when he dialled the other man that he realised he hadn’t even considered a trip scenario without the other man there.

He gulped when he picked up.

“Victor speaking!”

“H-Hi Victor, it’s Yuuri!”

“Oh, hi! How are you?”

“I-I’m fine. Listen, I wanted to suggest something? If you’re interested?”

Something rustled in the background.

“Oh? And what’s that?” Victor practically purred into the phone.

“I, well, I don’t know if that’s something that interests you, but would you go in a trip with me? Just for the weekend. I’d pay you your usual rate, of course.”

For a moment, Victor was silent and Yuuri was worried that he’d overstepped, but then the other man laughed softly.

“Where are we going?”

“How do you feel about the Maldives?”

Victor ‘ohh’d quietly.

“Love it. But honestly, you should definitely pay me a lower rate if it’s for several days. I mean, you’ll also be paying for travel and accommodation.”

Yuuri blushed. “W-What did you have in mind?”

“Hm... 5 grand a day?”

He grinned weakly. “Is that enough?”

“For a trip to the Maldives, a place I want to go anyway? Yuuuriiii! Of course, it’s enough. When are we going? I need to clear my schedule, pack, all of that.”

His smile widened. “This weekend. Friday to Monday? We could meet at the airport.”

“Perfect!” Victor chirped.

Yuuri had to agree.

* * *

Waiting at the airport, he irrationally wondered if Victor would stand him up. It was a silly thought – the other man had seemed eager to go on the trip, and he wasn’t even late, yet Yuuri was still nervous.

When Victor finally arrived, he was relieved – even more when he seemed so excited, so eager. They settled in a small café after checking Victor in – he’d done it before Victor had arrived.

“Have you ever been to the Maldives, Victor?”

The other man laughed. “No! It’s one of those things I want to do but never really make time for, if that makes sense.”

Yuuri’s lips quirked into a small smile – that had been most of his life until very recently.

“Do we have plans? Things to do?” Victor asked excitedly. Yuuri gave him a long look, one that ended with them both blushing.

“Mostly just… relaxing. Soaking up some sun, going swimming.”

Victor nodded.

“Were you able to find a sitter on such short notice?” Yuuri asked, angling for a few pictures of Makka.

Victor didn’t disappoint.

“Yes! My usual sitter was free and took her over the weekend! Look, she’s SO CUTE!”

Yuuri used the opportunity and slid closer to Victor – he noticed that one of the waiters was eyeing Victor appreciatively – he had put a hand low on Victor’s back possessively before he even realised he’d moved… or how stupid an impulse that was.

At the very least, he was sure that a waiter couldn’t afford Victor’s time. He focused his attention back on Victor and his photos of Makka.

* * *

Yuuri found Victor standing at a window of the small lodge on stilts he’d rented – he was looking out of the window at the blue ocean. He gave into his urge and wrapped his arms around Victor’s middle, pulling him around.

Victor felt like he did, apparently – relieved to be out of Detroit.

“What brought it on anyway? This sort of thing.” Victor asked about the trip – and Yuuri immediately panicked a little.

He flushed and looked away. “I... accepted a request to help out one of the bosses at my company. He needs some help with his finances.”

“Oh?” Victor asked – Yuuri wasn’t keen to elaborate on his arrangement, nor why he’d even accepted it – so he instead simply picked the taller man up, successfully distracting him, apparently.

It worked a little too well – when he dropped Victor off into the loungechair outside, he couldn’t help one jab at Chris though – the man’s expenses were a little bit insane. Victor giggled in the cutest way.

“And he’s the reason you took me here?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I always wanted to do this sort of thing with someo- I just felt like a getaway.” Yuuri corrected himself mid-sentence, not meeting Victor’s eyes. He wasn’t sure why he’d suddenly slipped up – he didn’t normally struggle so much to remember theirs was a business arrangement.

He was incredibly relieved when Victor suggested a swim – a change of topic was good.

“We could do that. Or we could just... explore the inside a little bit first.” He suggested, glancing at Victor, lounging in his chair.

The other man didn’t hesitate for a second before pulling him into a kiss… and just like that, Yuuri was carrying him again, back inside and to the bed.

They were naked in moments, Victor’s hands travelling along Yuuri’s back appreciatively. He’d had a thought earlier – some time ago, actually. When Victor’s hands roamed his ass, it… solidified somewhat.

“Want to trade places this time?” Yuuri asked in-between kisses.

“Hm?” Victor asked, clearly not comprehending.

“You could take me, for a change.” Yuuri suggested, flushing a little.

Victor was _delighted_ if the way he gasped and rubbed himself against Yuuri was any indication. Of course, this new activity didn’t mean Yuuri would neglect old favourites – he kissed and nibbled his way along Victor’s body, touching him everywhere except where the other man really wanted it – and only when he was nearly incoherent with pleasure, did Yuuri relent and fetch some lube.

He would have prepared himself… except Victor insisted.

Yuuri had had Victor’s fingers in him before – he didn’t mind. He ended up on all fours in front of Victor who was sitting against the headboard, his free hand rubbing Yuuri’s thigh.

Yuuri was face-to-face with Victor’s hard cock – unlike last time, he left it be – he had every intention to take his sweet time riding Victor.

He’d said that out loud, he realised when Victor groaned loudly, his fingers curling unexpectedly.

To Yuuri’s surprise, Victor scissored his fingers and then there was something else – he poked his tongue into Yuuri’s hole too, as much as his fingers there allowed it. It was certainly a unique sensation for Yuuri – he held still until he couldn’t take it anymore, until he just _had_ to have Victor inside of him.

Spinning around, he hovered over Victor’s already condom-clad dick.

“Ready?” he asked – Victor nodded frantically, and Yuuri allowed himself to slide down onto Victor’s dick. He could feel him _deep_ inside, exactly the sensation he’d been craving.

Victor’s hands had clasped to his hips, and he was panting already.

“Y-Yuuri… move, please!” He begged – Yuuri couldn’t resist.

He lifted himself up and dropped back down, enjoying the thrust against his prostate. Victor’s fingers were shaking on him, clearly resisting the urge to move him himself. He didn’t doubt that the other man was strong enough to do it, but he also knew that Victor had a bit of a… thing for not being in control.

He smirked.

“Put your hands on the headboard.” Yuuri ordered.

“I… what?”

“Hands. On the headboard.” He repeated, rising up on Victor’s dick again. The other man obeyed, his arms stretching along the wooden frame, fingers trembling on the wood.

Yuuri decided to stop holding back and started riding Victor – hard, fast, every movement hitting him just perfectly.

Victor, meanwhile, was mewling quietly, his face scrunched up in pleasure. Yuuri licked his lips and reached out, his fingertips tracing Victor’s cheekbones. Blue eyes fluttered open and focused on him – it was empowering.

“Don’t take your eyes off me!” Yuuri ordered, incredibly pleased when Victor nodded frantically, his hands visibly clenching more on the headboard.

He could feel himself getting closer and wanted to stave it off for a bit – so after his next move, he held still, grinding his hips against Victor’s. He’d gotten the position just right – Victor was pressing against that spot inside him perfectly, every tiny motion rubbing just a little.

The other man moaned in disappointment – no doubt he got far less out of it than Yuuri did.

Laughing softly, Yuuri leaned forwards and quickly kissed Victor.

Then he leaned back and waited for Victor to meet his eyes.

“You can touch me.” He purred – Victor wasted no time before his hands snapped to Yuuri’s waist and he bodily lifted him, before practically slamming him back down. Yuuri moaned in surprise, but he wasn’t exactly complaining – it felt _fantastic_.

He let Victor fuck up into him for a few more seconds before taking over again – although his thighs were burning already, he found it easier to control the motions himself.

Victor fell back with a moan, his hands straying to Yuuri’s dick and stroking it. He’d all but forgotten he’d been so preoccupied with how incredible Victor felt inside of him. As if he sensed it, Victor threw his head back with a soft cry.

“I’m gonna come, Yuuri, I’m sorry, I-“ the other man groaned, and Yuuri leaned down to kiss him again.

Victor leaned into the kiss eagerly, and after a few more seconds, came with a low moan. Yuuri could feel him spasming inside, Victor’s hands still frantically jerking him off – a few strokes later, he came as well, all over Victor’s chest and stomach.

Yuuri lifted himself off Victor with a groan, falling onto the bed next to him, panting.

He made a mental note to thank Chris for the job he’d given him.

* * *

Swimming laps around their little house was as good a distraction as any, he decided, once Victor was lounging on a sunbed like he was king of the world.

Yuuri doubted man would have objected to the man having that title. He certainly wouldn’t have. Victor was wearing a tiny excuse of a pair of swimming trunks, ones that revealed every line of his perfect ass and thighs, not that they covered that much in the first place.

He looked so perfect, wearing mirrored sunglasses that would have looked douchey on anyone else, just floating in the ocean.

Yes, swimming laps was a great way to occupy himself, and to stop himself from suggesting they do… unsavoury things in the water. Besides, he was mostly safe from getting a hard-on while he was moving in the weak current.

When Victor suddenly appeared in the water, a few feet in front of him, he squawked in surprise – he hadn’t noticed Victor even get into the water.

“Did you get bored on there?”

“Mhm... I got lonely. Say, I saw in that flyer that they have a dance contest at the restaurant each night. Do you want to take part?”

Yuuri smiled, pleased that Victor was interested. He’d seen it too… and damn right did he want to show off his perfect companion.

Still, they had a few more hours before it was dinner time… He grinned weakly as he got out of the water.

“Do you want to shower together?” he asked Victor – the other man nearly beat him to the large shower that took up most of the bathroom in the lodge. He definitely enjoyed soaping Victor up, running his hands over his body, not to mention the way Victor leaned into it.

They were nearly late for the dance competition.


	5. Chapter 5

To say Yuuri was confident when he led Victor onto the stage after requesting a tango was an understatement. There had been several older couples that had done well, but Yuuri knew they could win – if they danced even half as well as they had on previous occasions.

“Ready?” He asked, a little breathlessly as they took their positions.

“Always.” Victor breathed – the word… did something to Yuuri’s insides. He felt all fluttery, and for a moment he nearly missed his cue, he was so lost in the feeling. He caught himself just in time, and swept Victor into the first steps.

The joy on the other man’s face was incredible to see – Yuuri knew, all the way in his soul, that it was genuine, that Victor was _really_ enjoying himself as much as Yuuri was. It was a powerful feeling, he had to admit – and dangerous.

Victor wasn’t his to admire, no matter how often those thoughts snuck into his head.

When he dipped Victor, his back to the audience, it was the _only_ thought he was still able to form.

Naturally, they won – both were out of breath when they got off the stage, to the applause of as well as a few whistles from, the other guests there. It only took a few minutes before they were announced as the winners – and a waiter brought them each a huge, rainbow-coloured cocktail. He needed both hands to even lift the glass – to toast Victor.

The drink was fruity – refreshing. He sipped a little of it before settling back into his seat. He was still pleasantly full from their dinner when Victor shifted his chair closer and leaned over enough that he could whisper to Yuuri.

“Did you have fun?”

Yuuri grinned. “Of course. I love dancing, and you’re a fantastic partner.”

Victor beamed. “It was more fun than I ever expected. I think we may have given a heart attack to that one German couple over there though.” He said, vaguely indicating towards an older couple that had also participated.

“Huh?”

His partner chuckled. “Yeah… they were both staring at us like they’d never seen a human being before us.”

Yuuri snickered. “I imagine you have that effect on a lot of people.”

To his surprise, Victor flushed at his words and gave him a surprised look. “Yuuuuri! Such a smooth thing to say! I’m impressed!”

He cleared his throat. “W-Well, I just…” he stammered, only to stop when Victor winked at him. It gave him pause – he wanted to be the one to flatter Victor, not the other way around. He reached for Victor’s hand, lifting it to his lips without breaking eye-contact.

“You’re beautiful.” He said, sincerely, while pressing a kiss to Victor’s knuckles.

The other man gasped out a small ‘oh’ before blushing as much as Yuuri no doubt was – he took the opportunity to have some more of his drink. The colourful monstrosity was surprisingly good, he’d found.

“You say that a lot.” Victor said after a beat.

Yuuri grinned, the alcohol pleasantly spreading within him.

“Well, you’re beautiful a lot, so.” He said – for once, without blushing.

Victor looked delighted. “Do you… want to stay here much longer?”

Yuuri grinned goofily. “Let’s at least finish our drinks! We earned them!”

The other man chuckled and nodded – Yuuri sipped some more of his half-empty drink.

* * *

They were wrapped around each other completely – Yuuri had a hard time telling where they were, but he was happy to trust Victor and lean into him as they walked.

“I really trust you.” He mumbled – Victor smiled softly. “Like… really, really trust you.” He elaborated – he wasn’t sure why, but it suddenly felt incredibly important for the other man to… know.

“You’re not just beautiful, you’re intelligent, and funny, and so, so amazing in bed, and…” He lost his train of thought and settled for pressing a kiss to Victor’s throat, nearly tripping them both up. Victor stabilised him with a laugh.

“Now, now, Yuuri, wait until we’re back in the cabin, okay? I don’t want you falling!”

He blinked slowly.

Falling? Falling where?

Falling… for Victor?

He giggled. “I’ve already fallen for you, silly! Don’t know when. Maybe when we danced. Or when we had sex. Or when I saw you? Yes, all of those times!” he declared. He was a little disappointed when Victor didn’t reply – had the other man not heard?

He wrapped his arms around Victor’s neck and pressed his face close to Victor’s ear. “I love you, okay? Really, really love you, even though it’s not okay. Or… or is it? Is it okay, Victor?” he asked, already forgetting what he was asking about, stumbling beside the other man.

Victor led them to a door – the door to their cabin, Yuuri realised.

“I should carry you across the threshold tomorrow. When I’m, I’m less sober.” He paused. “Less _drunk_.” He corrected himself with a giggle, as Victor led him towards the bed. “Like as if we were married. Oh, wouldn’t that be something?” He wondered, while Victor patiently pulled him towards his side of the bed.

“Would you marry me, Victor?” He asked the other man. Instead of replying, Victor chuckled and reached down, lifting one of his feet up. He pulled off Yuuri’s shoes – first one, then the other - before pressing him back into the pillows.

Yuuri wanted to kiss him, wanted to… well, he wanted many things, but the world went black before he could get to any of them.

* * *

Yuuri woke up hazy – it took him several minute to pace together the evening before. When he did, it was like a bucket of ice water was dropped on his head. He stared at the out of focus Victor, who was still sleeping beside him, blissfully unaware of how sick Yuuri felt, all of a sudden.

The things he’d said… he knew well that they were utterly unacceptable, a violation of every rule of the service Victor worked for – not to mention no doubt also uncomfortable for the other man. That had to have been why Victor never replied, why he hadn’t said a thing to any of Yuuri’s drunken ramblings.

Or had he dismissed them as just that?

Yuuri hissed in annoyance – he didn’t know which… just that, in the haze of being drunk, he’d admitted things out loud he’d not even allowed himself to THINK about, not even just in his own head.

Victor groaned and rolled over, facing away from Yuuri.

His mind was racing at a thousand miles an hour – how was he supposed to act? What was he supposed to say? Would Victor believe him if he pretended not to remember? If he… if he said it was just joking around?

The man hadn’t gone to sleep on the couch, so he assumed it wasn’t unforgivable to him, but…

But!

Yuuri was torn from his thoughts when Victor moaned, his hips thrusting against the bed in a way that could really only mean one thing. A glance over confirmed it – Victor, who was sleeping naked, was hard and rubbing himself against the bed.

He gulped, unexpected arousal warring with the deep shame and regret he felt at his behaviour. He knew the mature thing to do would be to ignore his desire for Victor and to have a mature conversation, ask for his forgiveness…’

“Yuuuuuriiii….” Victor moaned in his sleep.

Something in the back of Yuuri’s mind snapped. He realised he probably wasn’t entirely sober, but… he reached for the lube anyway, his fingers sneaking along Victor’s perfect ass. The other man eagerly pushed against him – he was so eager, so responsive, even when asleep.

He dismissed concerns about consent without issue – Victor had told him before that he liked being woken by sex, not that Yuuri had had the opportunity to do so. He ignored the voice that told him then and there wasn’t right either.

He gently pushed his fingers into Victor, nudging him to lay on his stomach fully. The other man stayed asleep, even though his body rocked into Yuuri’s fingers eagerly enough. It was one of the most arousing things he’d ever seen, all things considered.

He stopped for a second, to grab a condom and slip it on, but then hesitated – for what it was worth, that still felt like crossing a line. So he went back to what he had been doing – using his fingers. Except he pushed them deeper, rubbing against Victor’s prostate with nearly every motion… and not long after, the beautiful man woke with a moan.

Victor mumbled Yuuri’s name, but he wasn’t exactly up for conversation – so he gently pressed Victor down and gave his aching dick what it wanted – Victor.

He _wanted_ to be gently, to be slow, but as soon as he fully slid into Victor, he realised that wasn’t happening. He snapped his hips, harder and faster with each thrust, Victor’s ass pushing back to meet him with every motion.

Victor’s orgasm didn’t take him by surprise – his own did. He hadn’t really felt it build, yet he came right as Victor did, quietly moaning as he rode out his pleasure before carefully laying down on Victor.

Then, the dreaded moment came – confrontation. He had no reason not to talk to Victor anymore.

Except that the other man acted like nothing had happened, like everything was… normal.

Yuuri felt sick.

* * *

He continued to feel off, unable to pinpoint what it was… and every time Victor asked, it got a little bit worse, grated on him a little bit harder. It was driving him mental, actually. When he snapped at Victor to cut it out, he felt even worse – he KNEW he was in the wrong, but…

He was laying in bed, fighting tears, when Victor rolled over suddenly and bodily pinned him to the bed. He was too surprised to stop him… and too _sorry_ to throw him off. Hysterically, he realised that it was probably the first time he _didn’t_ want Victor on top of himself.

“Yuuri, you need to tell me why you’re suddenly so different. Is it something I did?”

He considered running, he really did. He was strong enough, but really, even he wasn’t THAT much of a coward. So instead, he forced himself to relax – and to answer.

“It’s not really something you did. Not really, really, anyway. It’s… ah, it’s me. Can you let go of me?”

“Only if you promise to stop avoiding me.” Victor said petulantly.

Yuuri was finally at his limit and used his considerable strength to flip them over, a small part of him enjoying the sheer shock on Victor’s face when he landed on his back, now pinned by Yuuri. He knew he didn’t have to promise, had the option of just ending the conversation, but…

“Fine, I promise.” His mouth said, without his input.

He pulled away from Victor, doing his best to swallow down his emotions – not that he was sure what he felt.

Still, he had to address what he’d done. “Last night, when you helped me home… you know I was just babbling, right? You don’t have to feel like…” he broke off, annoyed with himself. How cowardly was it to just play off his feelings?

“Y-Yuuri, if this is about what you said, then I have no idea about it. It… you were speaking Japanese.”

Yuuri froze completely, for several seconds. It absolutely wasn’t computing. “I was… I was WHAT?” He was vaguely aware they were still talking, but neither Victor’s nor his own words were registering in his mind.

He… had been speaking Japanese. Which Victor didn’t know. So… so… he was safe.

Relief rushed through him.

“What did you say?” Victor’s voice cut through that relief like a knife.

He wasn’t sure if he imagined Victor’s slightly hurt impression when he called what they had a business arrangement – was there another word for it?

He was DEFINITELY sure that he didn’t imagine Victor’s frown when he stuttered about the rules. And really, it was true. He KNEW the rules, and he’d ignored them anyway.

Because… because of Victor.

Not that he could say that in response to Victor’s question. He settled for something he hoped sounded… kind, maybe. “Y-Yeah, I did say that. I don’t want… I mean, I know you do this for the money, and I just don’t want you to feel like you breaking the rules is… is a condition to this. Like you _have to_.”

The relief was back when Victor insisted he preferred direct contact – Yuuri did too, and not just because he found it awkward to tell someone else he wanted a date – like he was ordering off a menu.

“Besides, is it so hard to believe that I just like being with you?”

Victor’s words nearly broke his brain, and he did the only thing he could – he _laughed_. Hard to believe? No, hard to believe was that Victor liked the same things in bed Yuuri did. Him actually liking awkward, bumbling Yuuri? That was just ridiculous.


	6. Chapter 6

Yuuri tried to go back to the easy companionship they’d had before he screwed up, but it was hard – he suddenly felt like Victor was watching his every move, like the other man was just waiting for him to do something else, something worse.

Of course, that was nonsense and he KNEW it was nonsense, but he was looking for re-affirmation that he just couldn’t ask for. In other words, he was stuck, stuck with his feelings… and Victor.

Who, to be fair, did his best to distract Yuuri.

He was still lost in his train of thought when he found himself pulled around and pushed against the wall by the other man.

He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but it wasn’t the way Victor immediately knelt down, his fingers on Yuuri’s briefs.

“Do you mind?” the kneeling man asked, his grip on the fabric tightening.

“Of course not.” He replied, confused and half-hard.

That changed to rock-hard in seconds, because Victor pulled down his briefs and _nuzzled_ his face against Yuuri’s cock, his breath ghosting over sensitive skin. He allowed Victor to suck him into his mouth, and to bob his head a few times before his brain caught up with the situation.

“W-Why? All of a sudden…” he blurted out, disappointed when Victor pulled away.

“Why not? I wanted to. And besides, I can tell you’re still… off. I want to help.”

Yuuri’s breath hitched – not that he thought he’d been subtle, but still. He traced a finger down Victor’s cheek, and found himself needing to apologise.

“I’m sorry that I made things weird. And for no good reason.” Victor smiled up at him, his graceful hands wrapping around Yuuri’s erection.

“Don’t be. It’s fine. It’s all fine. I just… I miss how we were the first day, okay?”

Yuuri snickered. “And you think this will help?”

Victor winked mischievously.

“Well, it’ll certainly help me!” With that, he swallowed Yuuri down again, wasting no time at all before setting up a hard, fast rhythm that had Yuuri’s knees going weak in seconds.

It wasn’t his first blowjob – it wasn’t even his first blowjob from _Victor_ , but it was by far the most eager one he’d ever gotten. Victor was moaning, right along with every motion he made, his hips shifting, thrusting against nothing but air.

Yuuri would have liked to help, but he couldn’t exactly reach – and if he could have, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to muster the concentration to really do much.

He moaned Victor’s name, causing the other man to look up, through the slight sheen of tears that made his gorgeous blue eyes look even bluer if that was possible – then, they fluttered shut, and Victor’s free hand slid up his thigh to cradle his balls as well.

The older man redoubled his efforts on his dick, taking him even deeper and humming with every motion – and in no time flat, he was getting close – too quickly to even warn Victor, as it turned out.

He grunted as he came, spilling himself straight down Victor’s throat. The other man sucked him through it, to the point of oversensitivity, only stopping when Yuuri actively pulled away.

He’d expected the other man to get up, to do something about his own arousal, but instead Victor just sat there, shifting around and looking up at Yuuri. He stared back for a moment, until the other quietly moaned his name – then rather suddenly, he’d picked Victor up and carried him to the bed.

Yuuri stretched out next to him and matter-of-factly wrapped his fingers around Victor’s bare cock – he appreciated that the other man slept naked, he really did.

It only took a few minutes – it seemed Victor had enjoyed sucking him off more than he’d realised.

Victor came with a hoarse cry, his face pressed against Yuuri’s chest, his hands curled around Yuuri’s arm. He seemed to come for a long time, before his whole body relaxed and he pulled back far enough to be able to look at Yuuri properly.

They shared a small smile before Victor stretched. Yuuri pulled the blanket over them both – it wasn’t cold, but he didn’t want Victor to feel uncomfortable.

“Hi there.” Victor mumbled a few minutes later.

“Uh… hi?” he asked, feeling like he missed something.

“I’m glad you’re… you again.” Victor said quietly.

“As opposed to?” he asked, although he knew the answer, of course.

Victor didn’t dignify it with a response. Which, in Yuuri’s opinion, was fair enough, really.

* * *

Yuuri felt like an absolute idiot as the door to his flat closed behind him and silence enveloped him. He’d single-handedly ruined what would otherwise have been the _perfect_ holiday… and all because he’d gotten drunk. On ONE cocktail, mind you.

He angrily threw his suitcase on the couch and collapsed onto his bed.

Victor, of course, had been perfect – not that the man seemed to know any other way to be. He’d done everything to coax Yuuri out of his weird mood – and while they had sex, it worked. He vividly recalled Victor holding him as he rode the man on the couch – he’d felt sore for hours, afterwards.

His dumb mind, however, just wasn’t up for letting him have a good time – no, the second he started thinking again, and things went sour.

And he… well, he wanted to make up for it.

Desperately.

A lone thought struck him, and he pulled out his phone. It wasn’t too late yet… he made the call.

“Hi, Chris? Yeah, sorry to call you so late.” He began, his fingers shaking a little.

“No problem. What can I do for you? Any questions on my spending?”

To be fair, Yuuri had _several,_ but that wasn’t the issue here.

“No, no. I was hoping to ask you for a favour? If it’s not too much.”

Chris hummed. “Okay? Let’s hear it.”

“Could you… could you possibly give me an advance on next month’s pay?”

* * *

Yuuri had raced to the bar straight after work, hadn’t even had time to go home and shower.

Then again, that wasn’t the only unusual thing – he was also meeting Victor on a Wednesday instead of a Friday.

He got there early as always – and Victor wasn’t far behind. He revelled in how good the other man looked – dressed perfectly, his hair framing his face like a dream. He tried for a moment to imagine the gorgeous escort in a normal office job, but came up blank – it didn’t suit him, not at all.

“Hi!” Victor greeted him cheerily.

Yuuri turned with a smile. “Hi! Thanks for meeting me on such short notice.”

“No problem. Is there… something wrong?”

Yuuri cleared his throat. “Well… no. Maybe. That depends. I… I’ve been thinking.”

His heart was nearly beating out of his chest when he stuttered out his suggestion about an exclusive contract. He’d of course been vaguely aware that Victor had to see other people too, but after his little… realisation in the Maldives, that had graduated from being unpleasant to think about to a problem with a capital P.

He didn’t appreciate Victor’s joke about dating him for real – he was already well enough aware they weren’t in the same league. Probably not even playing the same sport, really. Still, he swallowed down the insult and focused on the more pressing issue: Victor’s other clients.

Thankfully, the website of the service held the solution – an exclusive contract. He trusted Victor to stick to it, and thanks to Chris, he was able to afford it too – at least for a while. He ignored the nasty thoughts about what would happen after – a thought that was silenced quite well when Victor negotiated for a LOWER amount.

That meant Yuuri could keep it going for longer… and that was well in his interest.

“O-Obviously, it would be exclusive. So, you don’t see anyone else.” He stuttered out, once they’d agreed an amount – it was the most important part, after all. Victor didn’t seem phased – he had to wonder if he’d had that sort of contract before, but for the most part, he didn’t want to know.

Not really, anyway.

They came to an easy agreement – meetings on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Almost as an afterthought, did he ask if there was anything else Victor wanted – he wanted the other man to be happy with their arrangement. A clothing allowance didn’t shock Yuuri – not with how exquisitely Victor dressed.

He was a LITTLE shocked when Victor dragged him into a nearby store. He’d never felt more out of place among the expensive suits – and Victor was just pulling out thing after thing, heaping it all in Yuuri’s arms.

He did NOT enjoy shopping.

Even being with Victor didn’t do much there – and it all got so much worse when it was time to try it all.

“Y-You’re going to try all these on?” Yuuri asked, looking at the pile of clothes in his hands.

Victor grinned.

“Oh no… _you_ are going to try them on!”

Yuuri found himself shoved into the changing room and taking off his work suit in no time at all – even as he was still processing WHY this was happening. Surely, Victor would benefit more from trying them on himself? Yuuri was shorter and a bit wider than the other man – how would seeing them on Yuuri help Victor pick?

He listlessly picked up the first dress shirt.

At the very least, he reasoned, there were worse things than having Victor spend time with him, than having the other man’s attention on him.

He laughed weakly – wasn’t that sort of what he wanted anyway?

* * *

Yuuri knew it was a mistake meeting up with Victor, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d felt sick all day – just some faint notion of nausea, a headache he couldn’t quite shake, that sort of thing. He’d checked in the morning and hadn’t had a fever – during work he’d _meant_ to cancel on Victor, but he just hadn’t managed it.

They’d met up as always, in a small, vegan restaurant Phichit had recommended, and had shared a plate of some kind of Italian-inspired food – he couldn’t even remember what it had been. Then, as always, they had gone to a hotel… and that’s where things had started to be weird.

He’d felt worse after dinner, but it wasn’t until they reached the room that he really started to feel the pressure in his head mount. He felt hot – not the kind that came with Victor, but an unpleasant, simmering feeling he wanted to be rid of as quickly as possible.

He stripped his clothes off eagerly, but when he saw Victor do the same, he stopped him.

It didn’t seem right, all of a sudden – why was Victor in such a hurry?

“Let me…” he mumbled, his fingers brushing along Victor’s shirt, undoing the buttons one by one. His fingers felt slow, like he was moving through water, but he enjoyed sliding them under Victor’s shirt anyway, brushing it off his body and touching the skin underneath.

The beautiful man was looking at him with an odd expression of almost-awe – Yuuri liked it.

Since Victor had already taken off the rest of his clothes, Yuuri settled for running his hands down his back, gently squeezing Victor’s ass. He pulled him into an embrace, pressing his face to Victor’s neck – he was the perfect height.

Victor moaned and leaned into him, almost strong enough to trip him.

He felt a little like he was in a trance, gently lifting Victor and carefully setting him down on the edge of the bed. His lover chuckled and reached for him, elegant hands exploring his body, touching him gently. It felt like Victor was the only cool thing in a storm of fire, and he craved the cool.

He gently cradled Victor’s head, leaned the man back, and kissed him, deeply and slowly.

Victor whimpered into the kiss, his hands trembling a little – and then, Yuuri wasn’t sure how, they were laying on the bed, side by side, completely entwined, kissing, touching each other.

“Yuuuuri! What… why are you so different today?” Victor moaned as he pressed another gentle kiss to Victor’s neck.

He whined quietly – different? He wasn’t, was he?

“Bad?” He asked – that was the only thing that mattered.

“No, no, of course not.” Victor assured him… and just like that, Yuuri stopped caring. His hands rubbed up Victor’s pecs more insistently – he wanted more. He wanted to crawl into the other man, and bask in how he felt.

“Want to be inside of you…” He muttered, pleased when Victor nodded almost frantically.

He was less pleased when the other man pulled away and got up for a minute… but then he was back, pressed against Yuuri again. He could see the other man was trying to prepare himself, but he stopped him, a hand settling gently on Victor’s wrist.

“Let me…” he said, grabbing Victor’s thigh and pulling him even closer, until Victor was on his side, facing Yuuri, his leg over Yuuri’s hip. It was an unusual angle, but with a bit of shifting, Yuuri could easily reach – and he could look into Victor’s face as he did it.

He watched as, seemingly in slow-motion, expression after expression shifted across Victor’s face. He wasn’t sure if he was out of it or if he was just moving really slowly, but whatever it was, it made something in his chest bloom in a way he’d never felt before.

He could have stayed there forever, just playing with his fingers in Victor’s ass, but the other man eventually grew restless, started saying something.

He didn’t catch the first few things, but after a few moments of it, he actually listened – Victor was begging.

Begging for Yuuri to take him already.

He grinned – of course there was no way he could deny the man he loved.

He rolled them both until he was above Victor, lining himself up with the other man and sliding in. There was no resistance at all – just heat and pleasure. Victor had felt cool before, but the heat Yuuri felt inside of him was even better – he didn’t want to lose even an inch of it.

Instead of pulling out, he gently rocked into the other man, leaning their bodies even closer together until there was virtually no space between them at all.

Victor’s fingers were digging into his back, little pinpricks of pain in an endless stream of pleasure.

Yuuri lost time – he had no idea how long he shifted against Victor, no idea what was happening around them. All he knew and could think about was his lover – he groaned quietly when Victor gave a particularly vocal moan.

He vaguely realised that the other man probably came – it didn’t matter, to either of them. Victor gave no indication of wanting him to stop, no reaction to his continued motions.

There was a vague ringing in his ears and he felt like he was sinking even deeper into Victor, somehow – and suddenly that was all he wanted, to be in, with, around Victor forever. Surely even a lifetime was too short for that?

Why had he ever thought a few meetings a week were enough? He wanted _everything_.

Yuuri came with a quiet shout of Victor’s name – his strength left him immediately, and he collapsed the rest of the way onto Victor. The other man didn’t seem bothered by his weight at all – in fact, he only held Yuuri tighter… and then the world went black.

Yuuri knew it was a mistake meeting up with Victor, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d felt sick all day – just some faint notion of nausea, a headache he couldn’t quite shake, that sort of thing. He’d checked in the morning and hadn’t had a fever – during work he’d _meant_ to cancel on Victor, but he just hadn’t managed it.

They’d met up as always, in a small, vegan restaurant Phichit had recommended, and had shared a plate of some kind of Italian-inspired food – he couldn’t even remember what it had been. Then, as always, they had gone to a hotel… and that’s where things had started to be weird.

He’d felt worse after dinner, but it wasn’t until they reached the room that he really started to feel the pressure in his head mount. He felt hot – not the kind that came with Victor, but an unpleasant, simmering feeling he wanted rid of as quickly as possible.

He stripped his clothes off eagerly, but when he saw Victor do the same, he stopped him.

It didn’t seem right, all of a sudden – why was Victor in such a hurry?

“Let me…” he mumbled, his fingers brushing along Victor’s shirt, undoing the buttons one by one. His fingers felt slow, like he was moving through water, but he enjoyed sliding them under Victor’s shirt anyway, brushing it off his body and touching the skin underneath.

The beautiful man was looking at him with an odd expression of almost-awe – Yuuri liked it.

Since Victor had already taken off the rest of his clothes, Yuuri settled for running his hands down his back, gently squeezing Victor’s ass. He pulled him into an embrace, pressing his face to Victor’s neck – he was the perfect height.

Victor moaned and leaned into him, almost strong enough to trip him.

He felt a little like he was in a trance, gently lifting Victor and carefully setting him down on the edge of the bed. His lover chuckled and reached for him, elegant hands exploring his body, touching him gently. It felt like Victor was the only cool thing in a storm of fire, and he craved the cool.

He gently cradled Victor’s head, leaned the man back and kissed him, deeply and slowly.

Victor whimpered into the kiss, his hands trembling a little – and then, Yuuri wasn’t sure how, they were laying on the bed, side by side, completely entwined, kissing, touching each other.

“Yuuuuri! What… why are you so different today?” Victor moaned as he pressed another gentle kiss to Victor’s neck.

He whined quietly – different? He wasn’t, was he?

“Bad?” He asked – that was the only thing that mattered.

“No, no, of course not.” Victor assured him… and just like that, Yuuri stopped caring. His hands rubbed up Victor’s pecs more insistently – he wanted more. He wanted to crawl into the other man, and bask in how he felt.

“Want to be inside of you…” He muttered, pleased when Victor nodded almost frantically.

He was less pleased when the other man pulled away and got up for a minute… but then he was back, pressed against Yuuri again. He could see the other man was trying to prepare himself, but he stopped him, a hand settling gently on Victor’s wrist.

“Let me…” he said, grabbing Victor’s thigh and pulling him even closer, until Victor was on his side, facing Yuuri, his leg over Yuuri’s hip. It was an unusual angle, but with a bit of shifting, Yuuri could easily reach – and he could look into Victor’s face as he did it.

He watched as, seemingly in slow-motion, expression after expression shifted across Victor’s face. He wasn’t sure if he was out of it or if he was just moving really slowly, but whatever it was, it made something in his chest bloom in a way he’d never felt before.

He could have stayed there forever, just playing with his fingers in Victor’s ass, but the other man eventually grew restless, started saying something.

He didn’t catch the first few things, but after a few moments of it, he actually listened – Victor was begging.

Begging for Yuuri to take him already.

He grinned – of course there was no way he could deny the man he loved.

He rolled them both until he was above Victor, lining himself up with the other man and sliding in. There was no resistance at all – just heat and pleasure. Victor had felt cool before, but the heat Yuuri felt inside of him was even better – he didn’t want to lose even an inch of it.

Instead of pulling out, he gently rocked into the other man, leaning their bodies even closer together until there was virtually no space between them at all.

Victor’s fingers were digging into his back, little pinpricks of pain in an endless stream of pleasure.

Yuuri lost time – he had no idea how long he shifted against Victor, no idea what was happening around them. All he knew and could think about was his lover – he groaned quietly when Victor gave a particularly vocal moan.

He vaguely realised that the other man probably came – it didn’t matter, to either of them. Victor gave no indication of wanting him to stop, no reaction to his continued motions.

There was a vague ringing in his ears and he felt like he was sinking even deeper into Victor, somehow – and suddenly that was all he wanted, to be in, with, around Victor forever. Surely even a lifetime was too short for that?

Why had he ever thought a few meetings a week were enough? He wanted _everything_.

Yuuri came with a quiet shout of Victor’s name – his strength left him immediately, and he collapsed the rest of the way onto Victor. The other man didn’t seem bothered by his weight at all – in fact, he only held Yuuri tighter… and then the world went black.


	7. Chapter 7

He only had vague sensations of what was happening – someone was helping him get dressed, someone was leading him somewhere, then again, and then he was being pushed to lay down in a familiar place – he objected a little when someone gave him something to swallow.

He didn’t like medication, but he took it anyway, too out of it to argue… he didn’t even know what it was, just that he trusted the person who gave it to him. He grew restless though – laying down, with no idea about how much time passed and alone… a strange sort of anxiety gripped him, the kind he’d had in his teens and such.

It was somehow distorted – everything was.

He realised, as he stumbled towards the door of his bedroom, that he had to be sick – it was the only explanation.

He corrected himself a moment later – not the _only_ explanation. He spotted Victor sitting on his couch, chatting on the phone… wearing Yuuri’s old uni t-shirt from back in Japan. He grinned – a dream. It had to be a dream.

The real Victor didn’t wear his clothes, didn’t go to his flat – never would, as far as Yuuri was concerned. No, he could never learn about Yuuri’ shabby apartment. He stumbled over to Victor, overheard him mentioning a name – who was Chris?

He let himself drop against Victor’s side.

“Who’s Chris?” Yuuri slurred, trying to focus on his lover.

“H-He’s just someone I know from work.” Victor replied. Yuuri nodded – he had a Chris at work too, after all.

“Oh? He’s not another client? Y-You’re sticking to the agreement, right?” He was suddenly terrified that Victor liked that Chris better than him – he shuffled closer.

“Oh, oh of course I am. There is nobody else, I promise. Just you.” Victor soothed him, a hand running down his back pleasantly. Yuuri purred and leaned closer – Victor had hung up, and thus the issue of Chris was resolved as far as he was concerned.

“How are you feeling?” The older man asked.

Yuuri shrugged. “Fuzzy. I have a fever, don’t I?”

Victor nodded. “Yeah. You should go back to bed before you pass out.”

He pouted at his lover. “Only if you come with me.”

The other man grinned. “Where else would I go?”

Where indeed.

They wandered back into Yuuri’s bedroom, and Victor laid down with him, even though his bed was tiny.

“You look good in my clothes.” He whispered – Victor’s chest rumbled with a soft chuckle – Yuuri could feel it more than he heard it, his eyes drifting shut again.

* * *

When he woke up again, his first thought was that he was absolutely _starving_. He wandered into the kitchen, his head feeling like it was filled with cotton – almost like a hangover. He beelined for the fridge, a bit confused at the presence of take-out there.

He didn’t remember ordering any, but when he spotted some soup from his favourite place, he realised he had to have had something delivered, at some point. He happily grabbed a cup and went to have it – he didn’t care that it was cold – when something had him freezing in his tracks.

Victor.

Who was asleep on his couch. IN HIS FLAT.

Where he was absolutely not supposed to be, in any way, shape or form. He was still trying to make sense of the whys and hows when said man scrambled up and started talking to him as if nothing weird was going on at all.

Victor took the soup and heated it up for him – as much as he wanted to keep it together – he had QUESTIONS, damn it! – all he could do was go along with Victor, who was leading him back to bed. He could feel himself drifting off again – whatever was wrong with him, he wasn’t as over it as he had thought, apparently.

His lover sat with him as he ate, and he was vaguely aware that they spoke even, but none of it was really penetrating his mind, not the way he wanted it to.

When Victor eventually got up and left, he was powerless to do anything but to lay down and close his eyes… at least for a bit.

It was maybe half an hour of dozing later that he shot out of bed with a yelp, his mind suddenly crystal-clear… and _racing_.

He was replaying the last few hours, the last half-day really, and piecing together what his fever-addled mind couldn’t.

A wave of nausea welled up inside of him, but he ruthlessly fought it down, not that it had much against the anxiety that swept over him and threatened to drown him. He hadn’t had a full attack in, well, years, but he knew without a doubt he was headed exactly there as he stumbled into the bathroom, sitting down on his soft shower mat. It was as comfortable as anything, and at least in the small, dark room, nothing directly reminded him of Victor.

He whimpered quietly, his breathing speeding up as he braced himself for the worst of it.

* * *

Yuuri was sitting next to his couch, leaning against the side of it, angrily wiping tears from his cheeks and staring at his phone. It was over. He’d done it.

He’d sent Victor a text – like a coward – breaking up with him.

Well, not breaking up – more like ending their arrangement… because that was what it was, and Yuuri couldn’t take it anymore. No doubt Victor would be relieved, glad he’d never have to see Yuuri’s dump of a flat again.

Glad that he’d never have to take care of Yuuri again. He’d acted like a child, and Victor had looked after him – no doubt out of a sense of obligation.

However, in doing so, he’d stumbled across a number of things Yuuri hadn’t wanted him to know – his flat, how useless Yuuri was, how shabby his clothes were, and so on. He’d seen Yuuri hardly able to eat soup, had fed Yuuri medicine.

A whimper tore itself from Yuuri’s throat.

And before that… before that, he’d had sex with him. No… not sex. He’d slept with Victor the way he would with a boyfriend, a husband.

Not someone he paid to spend time with him.

And Victor had let him, had played along. He could only imagine what the other man probably thought of him. He’d even gotten jealous over some acquaintance – he cringed at the memory.

His phone buzzed – a reply from Victor. He considered deleting it, but couldn’t.

Fingers shaking, he opened it.

‘Why?’

That was all it said, but it felt like a punch to the gut. Why indeed? Because Yuuri wasn’t any good. He knew it, and he should have never pretended otherwise.

‘I just think I’m not really happy with the arrangement anymore. Sorry. I’ll still pay you for the full month of course.’ He replied, before chucking his phone clear across the room, towards his bedroom.

He needed to… well, he didn’t know what he needed, but it was nothing Victor could give him.

* * *

“Man, I’m so sorry.” Phichit said softly, patting Yuuri on the back.

He didn’t reply.

“I had no idea it… things had gotten bad. Why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugged wordlessly, reaching for what Phichit was holding – an emergency hamster, or so his best friend had declared when he’d shown up with all five of his pets, no more than 20 minutes after Yuuri had called him.

Arthur, that one was called – and it seemed content to sit in Yuuri’s hands, staring up at him from adorable, beady black eyes. He gave the little guy a slice of the carrot Phichit had brought and watched him eat a few bites before pouching the rest.

Phichit had been talking to him, but he didn’t bother listening – he appreciated the intention, but there wasn’t anything his friend could say that would make him feel better, and they both knew it.

He gently nudged Arthur’s full cheek with a finger, earning him an offended squeak.

Grinning at the little guy, he gave him more carrot.

“What are you going to do?” Phichit asked, pulling his attention away from Arthur.

“I have no idea. I guess… I guess things go back to normal.” He said, shrugging.

Phichit gave him a look that very clearly showed what he thought of _that_ idea.

“You could meet someone else.” Phichit suggested.

“Not interested.” He snapped back immediately.

“Alright, alright. Well, I guess… oh, how about you drown your sorrows in alcohol and then go and see how you feel about a rebound?”

He gave Phichit a flat look and traded Arthur for another hamster – he didn’t remember this one’s name, but it had empty cheeks and he had carrots left.

“Not. Interested.” He repeated.

“Suit yourself. But if you think _I’m_ making it through that event next week sober, you have another thing coming.”

“What event?”

Phichit paused for a few moments.

“Wow, you really need to pay attention to things around you. The annual company event? Two days in a hotel in New York? Four days from now…? Surely HR has sent you the tickets and everything already.”

He blinked owlishly – he had no idea. He hadn’t checked his email in a few days.

“Yuuri, I love you, but you can be such a gay mess sometimes.” Phichit said with a sigh, reaching for Yuuri’s phone and unlocking it by holding it in front of his face.

A few taps later, he showed Yuuri – and indeed, there it was. A ticket to New York and back.

Huh.

“Who knows, maybe this will be good for you?” Phichit asked feebly.

He gave the hamster in his hand another piece of carrot.

Yeah right.


	8. Chapter 8

“A-Are you sure this is right?” He asked the somewhat exasperated HR woman for the third time.

“Yup. Katsuki, accountant, rooming with Nikiforov, CIO.”

“But.. but…” he stuttered – she turned away from him with an eyeroll, to deal with someone else.

Thankfully, he spotted Chris, chatting to Phichit a few steps away. Hopefully, the head of HR of all people would be able to help. Why in the world would Yuuri be in with a C-level?

Chris waved at him, putting his phone away just a Yuuri came over. Before he could talk to him though, Phichit stepped into his path.

“So I heard you’re sleeping your way to the top?” His friend teased.

“I don’t know why I’d be in a _suite_!” he whined – The other man grinned.

“Who knows, the room assignments are probably random.” Easy for him to say, his friend was rooming with someone from HR, according to the clipboard of the HR woman Yuuri had spoken to.

“Phichit! I’m with someone really high in the company! What if... What if I embarrass myself?”

“You won’t. This Nikiforov guy is probably just some old geezer that’ll get drunk and pass out.”

Yuuri gasped – not that he was that surprised that Phichit was being blunt, but… but! He stuttered something but gave up almost immediately. Why was Phichit being so casual?

“Stop that. You’ll be fine. Hey, maybe he’s really young and hot and you two hit it off!” With that and a wave, Phichit wandered off – and Chris came the rest of the way over.

Hearing him confirm that the room assignments were fixed was… disappointing. Frightening.

“O-Oh. I guess that makes sense.” Yuuri said in a small voice. “And... And the man I’m rooming with, is he nice? Do you know him?”

Chris gave him a genuinely reassuring smile. “I do know him, cheri, and let me tell you, you and him are going to get on _amazingly_. You should head up now, I’m pretty sure he’s already in the room.”

Like that helped.

He mumbled a thanks and slow walked over to the elevator. Floor three was his target – that was where his suite was… and his C-level roommate for the next two days.

He only realised that he didn’t even know the first name of the Nikiforov he was supposed to stay with – and it was too late to ask Chris.

Yuuri did his best to be as unobtrusive as possible as he walked into the room – not that that was easy given how casually luxurious it was. It was… nice. Really nice.

He spotted one of the two beds and immediately beelined over to it… that was when he noticed that he wasn’t alone.

He vaguely felt his suitcase slide from his fingers and hit the ground – and his foot – as it fell.

He was staring at… Victor.

* * *

“Hi, Yuuri.” The other man greeted, his voice quiet.

“V-Victor? That... You?! Why are you here?!”

“I’m...” he began, only to fall silent again.

Disgust settled low in Yuuri’s gut – there was only one explanation, wasn’t there?

“Are you here... accompanying the CIO I’m supposed to stay with?” he forced himself to ask – he had no idea what the odds were of him meeting, but that had to be it.

Victor, however, seemed absolutely shocked at his suggestion. Which meant… meant what exactly?

“I need to go.” Yuuri blurted out, spinning on his heel.

He ran.

He ignored the elevator and headed to the staircase – it didn’t matter that it was far, he ran down the stairs as quickly as possible, the staircase blurring before his eyes. He ran, mindlessly, until he couldn’t – until he found himself backed into a dead end.

He spun back, but before he could adjust his course, he came face to face with… Victor.

The man was breathing heavily, and staring straight at him.

And then… someone else, someone Yuuri didn’t know recognised Victor.

Victor… whose last name was Nikiforov, apparently.

Victor Nikiforov, the CIO of the company he worked for.

Yuuri ran.

* * *

He was only even vaguely aware of stumbling into the first open bar he saw, sitting down and ordering himself something – he wasn’t sure what, but he had four of them before his hands stopped shaking.

He didn’t stop there.

Or at least he was fairly sure he didn’t – he had a bit of a blackout between the first few drinks and stumbling back into the hotel lobby hours later. He knew it was already dark, and that he needed to sneak back into his room – his stuff was there.

The sneaking would have worked better if the door to the room hadn’t slammed itself open as soon as he came near it – or that was what it felt like anyway.

Then, there was his living nightmare – Victor.

The man he loved.

The…

He didn’t even know anymore, but he was too weak to resist when Victor dragged him into the bathroom and ordered him to shower.

By the time he stumbled back out, things were a little clearer. He wanted to talk to Victor, but the other man ignored him, instead pushing Yuuri towards the bed. As he sat, he suddenly felt a fair bit more sober – and tired.

Fighting the latter, he looked at Victor. All of his stress, his anguish, his racing thoughts seemed to simmer down to one thing, all of a sudden.

“Am I... Am I going to be fired?”

“No. I promise you. You won’t be fired. This, it has nothing to do with work.” Victor’s reply wasn’t reassuring at all. He reached out and ran his fingers along Victor’s tie, hoping that his fingers weren’t shaking as badly as he thought they were.

He held on, suddenly a touch dizzy – and then all he could see was _Victor_. He’d missed the other man, and now… he didn’t have to anymore? That didn’t sound right, but when the gap between them closed until he could finally kiss Victor, he didn’t question it.

It was fantastic, the way it always was… and then Victor nudged him to lay down, and the world faded to black.


	9. Chapter 9

Waking up with a headache was never his favourite way of starting the day. Neither was waking up and not knowing where he was or why he’d fallen asleep in a towel. That immediately took a backseat to the fact that he was incredibly nauseous.

Sprinting into the bathroom, he quietly heaved up what little was in his stomach. Weak on his feet, he brushed his teeth and stumbled back out of the bath.

When a bottle of water was handed to him, he didn’t question its presence – at the very least, not until an achingly familiar voice made it impossible to not remember what was happening.

“How are you feeling?” Victor asked quietly.

Embarrassingly, he involuntarily backed away, forced to confront the reality of his living nightmare.

. “I... have a hangover.” He blurted out, mentally kicking himself

“I can tell. Do you need anything? Medicine? Food?”

“Is a plane ticket home too much to ask?” Yuuri blurted out.

Victor smiled weakly. “Not until we’ve actually talked. Properly.” He could hardly credit how… small Victor sounded.

“Y-You’re Victor Nikiforov.” He stuttered awkwardly. “The... CIO of the company I work for.” That, at least was the only thing that made sense… however little sense it was.

Blood rushed in his ears, nearly drowning Victor out when the other man informed him he wasn’t an escort. Contrasting that, his voice was almost too loud in Yuuri’s ears when he explained.

“Well, I was stood up by some blind date I was on, and was just on my way home when suddenly, this incredibly cute guy clumsily hits on me. He invites me to dinner and then his hotel, and he fucks me better than I’ve ever had it.” He noted with pleasure the way Yuuri blushed with another whimper. “The next morning, I wake up and give him my number and then find _money_ on my dresser. So, I decide to meet this cute man again to clear up the misunderstanding.”

Yuuri mentally revisited every interaction he’d had with the other man. He’d been so awed by how attractive, how nice and how… great Victor had been… not for a MOMENT had he considered that it could have been a misunderstanding. Not when he’d asked the agency for someone like Victor almost to the letter.

“Except instead, we land in a bed again, and frankly, I’m pretty useless for conversation, he’s that good. So, it happens again. It keeps happening, actually, until I overhear him say something when he thinks I’m asleep – namely that he’s not interested in a normal relationship.”

He flinched at that – not only because Victor had heard, but because he wanted to scream at Victor, to correct him. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted a relationship with Victor… he just thought Victor was way out of his league. And really, what did Yuuri have to offer him other than a shabby apartment and jealousy about his line of work?

Except it WASN’T his line of work. No, it was even worse – because Victor was a high-powered C-level executive in his own damn company. He whined quietly, but the other man wasn’t done.

“So I decide to convince him of the _merits_ of dating me without clearing up the misunderstanding. It works as well, he openly tells me he likes me... but rejects me when I suggest a normal relationship.”

Yuuri backed away at the sour look Victor gave him. So… so the other man hadn’t been mocking him with that line? Things made less and less sense with each passing minute.

“Then, as if that weren’t enough, he offers me _half his yearly salary_ in order to make us exclusive. I’m over the moon – obviously, he DOES like me in some way... Except that, when I look after him when he’s sick, he suddenly _dumps me and won’t even tell me why._ ”

Yuuri let himself be backed into the bar, too busy questioning everything he thought he knew.

“Y-You know how much I earn?” His mouth blurted out without any input from his brain.

And wasn’t that the most embarrassing thing of them all? Victor knew how much he’d lived beyond his means, how much of a pretender he was. The shame burned through him like nothing he’d ever felt.

“Yes. I know how much you earn. I know where you live. Who your emergency contacts are. You know Chris, the guy whose audit you’re doing? That’s my best friend. He’s been helping me out with... you.”

There was a lot there he wasn’t ready for yet, so he focused on something else.

“Y-You’re the _CIO._ Why didn’t you... report me to HR. Or-or to the police?”

“Well, at first I had no idea you worked for my company. I don’t have anything to do with accounting. Then... I mean, weren’t you listening? I didn’t report you because I _wanted_ to be with you.”

He whined – why was Victor still saying all that nonsense? Wasn’t it enough yet? He was vaguely aware that the conversation was continuing, but he somehow wasn’t part of it anymore. All he could do was focus on what he needed to do – to get the hell out of there, as quickly as possible.

He frantically tried to gather up the pieces of his own broken heart – also, his luggage – when Victor once again startled him from his mental spiralling. A millionaire? He suppressed the urge to laugh.

“I don’t know what you expect from me, but whatever it is, I can’t give it to you. I’m just... You’ve seen the place I live in. I have nothing you could want.”

Victor looked at him with such… pity, it really turned his stomach.

“Then what do you want?” Yuuri asked, without looking at him directly. He certainly wasn’t it, but… but part of him wanted to know, what Victor was thinking.

“The adorable man who asked me out to dinner and then took me apart in his hotel room. I... I just want you, Yuuri.”

He allowed himself to be turned when Victor tugged on his arm. He was shell-shocked when Victor leaned in to kiss him. Soft, sweet, gentle. Yuuri could feel in his soul that Victor was putting everything he felt into that kiss.

And that… that meant that he wasn’t lying, wasn’t humoring Yuuri, wasn’t making fun, nothing of the hundreds of shameful horrible explanations his mind had provided him with. None of it was true. And if Victor was for real…

Yuuri kissed back, hesitantly, to see what Victor would do. The other man reacted like he always had – relaxed into it, groaned in enjoyment… it was all too much for him.

He stumbled back, forced out an apology, and ran away, like the coward he apparently was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued in part 3!


End file.
